How To Repair Etched Marble

How to become rid of marks on marble

The marble countertops in a reader's kitchen. (Reader photo)

Q: The marble countertops in our kitchen were new when we bought our house two years ago. Now they are completely covered in what look like h2o marks. Maybe the stone wasn't properly sealed or finished to begin with? Nosotros use a marble-safe cleaner, so I don't think that'southward the problem. What tin can I practise to fix the trouble and make the marble look shiny and new again?

Washington

A: The "h2o marks" could easily be etching left by lemon juice, vinegar and other acids. Marble (like limestone and travertine) contains calcium carbonate, which dissolves in acrid. A sealer helps prevent stains merely does not stop acid etching, said Hunter Dasch, vice president of Rose Restoration (800-413-9893; www.roserestoration.com), a visitor that restores marble surfaces throughout the Washington area and Florida. "That'due south a common misconception," he said.

When a polished marble countertop has only a few etch marks, it's often possible to restore the shine for $ten $xv by rubbing with a soft textile and a paste fabricated of water and a marble polishing powder, such as Miracle Sealants' Water Band & Etch Remover or M3 Technologies' Majestic Etch Remover. However, it tin can take several long minutes of polishing to treat a unmarried etch mark.

When countertops throughout a kitchen are covered with compose marks, or if the etches are so deep that they remain fifty-fifty if you endeavor to polish them out, information technology's time for professional help. Rose Restorations would employ ability equipment with diamond abrasives to remove the etch marks, and then shine the stone and seal it. "Diamond abrasives are to stone what sandpaper is to forest," Dasch said. The crew would start with fifty-grit, then switch to progressively effectively abrasives, with grit sizes of 100, 200, 400 and 800. Effectually 400 to 800, the rock starts reflecting calorie-free. Afterwards 800, the crew uses a polishing powder, which results in a shiny surface. Then the stone is resealed. To treat a typical marble-topped kitchen isle often takes ane person five to eight hours, at $75 an hour. A typical kitchen needs a two-person crew ($120) and eight to 10 hours.

Information technology's possible to add together a blanket that keeps any spilled acids from touching the stone, but a articulate topcoat changes the await of the stone. Virtually homeowners opt to skip that, Dasch said. Instead, they pay to have the countertops refinished every three to eight years, depending on usage and how picky they are virtually wanting a gloss finish.

You can besides opt, as part of the refinishing, to switch from polished to honed marble. The refinishing crew would merely stop at 800 grit. Because the stone wouldn't be equally shiny, any new etch marks wouldn't be as noticeable. Notwithstanding, if they occurred, you couldn't rub them out with an etch remover without risking creating a shiny spot. Dasch said a better touchup pick would exist to lightly sand with 800-grit moisture/dry sandpaper.

Of course, a third selection is to just let the carving happen. Over time, the surface volition become more evenly dull and you volition end noticing it so much.

Some years agone nosotros updated our forepart entry. Now the bricks are showing black residuum. How do we make clean the bricks without harming them?

Fairfax

The black residue is nigh certainly mildew. It doesn't hurt brick, but if y'all don't like the wait you can remove it with household bleach or a moss-and-mildew cleaner from a hardware store or home eye.

For uniform cleaning, the bricks should exist damp. So tackle the cleaning job on a drizzly day or hose down the bricks earlier you start. If yous're using a specialty cleaner, follow the label directions.

If you lot're using bleach, the to the lowest degree expensive option, mix ane cup of bleach to 1 gallon of h2o. Wearing old wearing apparel, rubber boots and rubber gloves, employ a synthetic scrub castor or broom to slop the solution onto the bricks. Scrub enough to distribute the solution. Wait a few minutes, then hose off the bricks.

If you lot had a large expanse to make clean — not your situation, from what shows in the pic yous sent — you could use a power washer fitted with a rotating surface cleaner. This attachment is sold along with power washers. Tool rental companies can also supply both the machine and the attachment.

Have a problem in your home? Send questions to localliving@washpost.com . Put "How To" in the subject line, tell us where you alive and try to include a photograph.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for u.s. to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.